Soundtrack for Holy Week - Palm Sunday

There are times when it is right to set aside controversies and arguments to focus on that which draws people together, and closer to God.

So like last year, I will be taking a break from the twists and turns of trying to work towards a more inclusive church, to focus on the most inclusive act of human history - the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Even as he was nailed to the cross, he prayed for forgiveness for the people who were driving the nails into his hand and feet - for the people who had beaten and ridiculed him - for the religious and political leaders who had framed him and washed their hands of him.

So this week, I will be posting some music each day, looking at the events and people who lived out this week with Jesus.

Today's song is performed by Seventh Day Slumber - an American rock/worship band.  Its a remix of a well known song to priase for the day when the crowds welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem with shouts and songs of celebration and praise.

How great is our God...

To view the other Soundtracks for Holy Week follow the links below:

• Palm Sunday
• Monday - Mary anoints Jesus
• Tuesday - Judas
• Wednesday - Peter
• Maundy Thursday
• Good Friday
• Easter Eve
• Easter Sunday - He is Risen!

Dreams of home ...

It is 25 years since I last went to Greenbelt.  That makes me feel old.

I used to be a regular camper when I was a teenager, bringing a coachload of fellow teenagers from Bolton in Lancashire for a weekend of cutting edge Christian music, seminars, & the encouragement that comes from knowing you are part of something bigger –  very important to teenagers, particularly those who bear the stigma of being committed Christians.

So going back was potentially rather strange.  What would it be like?  Would it be the same, or different?  Would I feel out of it, now that I am in middle age?  Or would I find myself surrounded by the same people, all 25 years older?  What would have changed?

Well there were definitely some changes.

There were proper toilets instead of huge holes in the ground covered by rustic wooden frames!  Many workshops and talks took place in the luxury of the grandstand of Cheltenham Racecourse instead of packing people into sweaty, muddy marquees.  The Main Stage arena was much smaller and just one of many venues, rather than the epicentre of everything.  More significantly, the sheer of variety of events on offer was huge with a greater emphasis on speakers, performing arts and activities for children. 

When I was a regular, Greenbelt was living out the axiom from Larry Norman’s iconic song “Why should the devil have all the good music?”  This was a deeply contentious issue in all our churches.  I remember heated exchanges with older church members about the evils of rock music; about how it was wrong to wear denim in church; and the open suspicion of the Christian rock bands like 100% Proof, Rez , & Jerusalem which had converted most of my friends to Christ.

Going to Greenbelt then was an opportunity to celebrate a new way of being church, free from the cultural constraints of the past, while at the same time being challenged by the speakers and seminar leaders to think afresh our faith.

So what would I find  now - 25 years later?

I found that there was less emphasis on music and more emphasis on issues – spirituality, theology, cultural context and social justice.

I found that there were many more opportunities to worship – and extend our experience of God in new ways and new forms.

I also found that while there were many more people there who shared my ‘middle age’, there were still teenagers, young people, and children in abundance.

And the cutting edge has changed.  Conflict over music and church dress-codes are yesterday’s issues.  Time has moved on, and (thank God) so has Greenbelt.  For me, the cutting edge at this year’s Greenbelt were around Emergence Churches, with speakers like Brian McLaren, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Phyllis Tickle, & Rob Bell – developing a 21^st century vision for the Gospel which engages a new generation who are either un-churched, de-churched, or anti-churched.

So what were my conclusions?

As I left, I came away from a different Greenbelt to one I went to as a teenager, but still recognisable.  I came away encouraged, challenged and elated – and most of all pleased to be reacquainted with a festival which still pushes the boundaries and challenges the conventional view of what it means to be church and what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Oh, and yes – I did find some music too!  Mostly in the ‘Underground’ - the dark, slightly subversive venue for rock, punk and indie bands where I was considerably older than the average fan.  So my thanks to MaLoKai, Spokes, Conduit, Jax Walker & Back Pocket Prophets for providing the musical soundtrack to my Greenbelt 2011. 

It was like coming home.

Come alive!

The miracle of Easter is not just that Jesus rose from the grave - the real miracle is that his resurrection means new life for everyone.

Beyond the Easter cry "He is risen",  is God's call to us to take hold of this gift of life.

Today's song is the last in this series for Lent and Holy Week.  It is by Foo Fighters from the album "Echoes, Silence Patience and Grace".

It speaks to me of the transformation which Christ's resurrection has made, and is making, in my life.

"I lay there in the dark, and I closed my eyes

You saved me the day you came alive.

Come alive!

Nothing more to give

I can finally live

Come alive!

Your life into me

I can finally breathe

Come alive!"

God's Easter call to us this Easter is "Come alive!"

This week's song is... 'Your love is a song' by Switchfoot

Keeping with the theme of God's love, from my last musical blog "My song is..."-  this song is a womderful expression of how God's dynamic love surrounds us and enfolds us.

Sometimes it is only after times of brokeness or disappointment that we become open to God is a new way - hence the lyric "I've got my mind/eyes wide open" which echoes through the verses.

In many ways it remids me of the beauty of Psalm 139:

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

For those who haven't heard of Switchfoot before, they are a Chirstian band from the US and this is definately one of their quieter songs...
The first blog in the series was  My song is ...

My song is ...

And now for something completely different ...

I have been inspired recently by a number of friends who have posted songs on their Blog's and Facebook pages.  Some have really touched my heart - a good example is "Strumming my pain with his fingers" by Significant Truths - and they have made me reflect ...

Music is a big part of my life.  It feeds my spirit and nourishes my soul. 

It can also be a great release when things get too serious.  I remember one evening when my wife was in hospital fighting for her life after her road accident in 2003.  I had just taken our children to see her and the visit had not gone well.  She had been given some bad news that day and was quite upset - she was also in too much pain to be able to hide it, and our kids (aged 3 and 5) came away from the hospital very quiet and withdrawn.

When we got home, I put a some music on.  It was a loud raucous CD by Linkin Park.   It turned out to be exactly what we all needed, enabling us to let go of the pain, fear and frustration that we felt.  Before I knew it, I had picked the children up, one in each arm, and we were dancing like lunatics around the living room with the volume up as high as it would go.  When the song finished, we fell onto the settee laughing and crying all at the same time.  When I took them up to bed a few minutes later they both said to me "Daddy - that was fun - can we do it again?"

Often my Blog ends up being a bit too serious.  It is often fed by observations of misunderstandings, injustice and prejudice.  Yet the Christian Gospel is Good News.  It is meant to be something which brings life, love,  joy and colour to our lives.

So I am going to start interspersing my more serious Blog postings with something a little lighter - a song for each week.   It will be a song which feeds me, which nourishes my soul, and just might do something for you too.

Today's song is 'A Message' by Coldplay, which was written around the a lyric "My song is love unknown" from the famous hymn.  It speaks to me of the love that God has for us - constant, unconditional, faithful, life-giving, warm, refreshing, inspiring, healing, personal, inviting!  As I listen to it, I find God singing those words to me.

It also speaks to me of the love which God wants us to live out in our relationships, our churches, our communities, our world.

Today's song is 'A Message' - Click below to enjoy...

For the next blog in the series click here